Driver assistance systems are basically known from the state of the art. Sensor based driver assistance systems are increasingly found in vehicles to detect traffic situations in the immediate environment of the vehicle. For this, various types of sensors can be used, such as for example optical sensors, which can be embodied e.g. as optical cameras, night vision systems or image intensifier systems, infrared cameras or thermal imaging cameras. In principle, however, the sensors can also be designed to receive electromagnetic radiation of other wavelengths such as e.g. radar, lidar or to receive sound waves such as e.g. ultrasound.
If traffic situations must be detected also spatially, so-called “stereo systems” are applied, which use at least two sensors, which detect the environment of the vehicle from different positions, thus enabling determination of spatial information. Here, for example, optical sensors such as stereo cameras can be used, but even these stereo systems can be designed to receive electromagnetic radiation of other wavelengths such as e.g. radar, lidar or to receive sound waves such as e.g. ultrasound.
For an error-free functionality of stereo systems e.g. while using stereo cameras it is necessary that the adjustment of the individual sensors (for example from two individual cameras/camera modules) to each other is effected very accurately, and that this adjustment over the entire lifetime or operating time of the stereo system is maintained. This lifetime can well be a period of about 15 years. If, for example due to a defective or poorly performed production (e.g. defective assembly compounds, degradation of optical properties, optical detuning of a camera system), there is an —even minor—modification over the lifetime, this can lead to a malfunction or faulty measurement of the assembly and thus to faulty results, wherein said malfunction (if there is no total failure) can first of all remain undetected for the vehicle user in daily vehicle use.